Spotted: Porsche Panamera manual

Fancy a stick-shift super-saloon? This Panamera represents a rare opportunity if so...

I don't know whether to take the credit or the blame for this one: but this Panamera exists largely because of a conversation I had with Porsche GB at the back-end of 2009.

Porsche lent me a manual Panamera 2S for a few days while I was shooting two stories.

I thought they were taking the piss at first, but after a few miles it was clear that the stick-shift saloon was actually a complete hoot.

On my return I begged Porsche GB to spec a manual for the press fleet and one duly appeared six months later. It's the connection between these two events that leads me to the conclusion that I had something to do with its arrival. I know - tenuous at best.

It's a rare old beast, but for me it works. It's not as fast as a Turbo, but it makes a much better noise and it's still got 400bhp. Think E39 M5 performance, plus a little bit more, and you'll get the idea.

Moreover, if you're someone who wishes there was a super-saloon that still had a manual gearbox, this is the only car to fit those criteria.

For going to places far away, very fast, the Panamera remains at the top of my list.

Well....I like it (but then again I owned a manual Cayenne GTS for 2 years and so i'm used to "weird" cars).

kambites19 Jun 2012

Nice to see that the option is there.

thewheelman19 Jun 2012

Must admit to liking the Panamera, I believe they look far better in the metal than in pictures.

Iamnotkloot19 Jun 2012

I'm with the 'lovers' camp here. An unusual, powerful, RWD saloon with a manual gearbox - should be a favourite but not many like them.

El Shafto19 Jun 2012

I love it, but I can see why most manufacturers never put manual gearboxes into their super-saloons - It's because they're not designed to be 'driver's' cars and they're targeted at the sort of people that have far too much money and self importance to be expected to change gear themselves...just imagine the indignity of having to change gear like a poor person?